Chicago sweethearts Whitney took over Thalia Hall last week for not one, but three incredibly special shows in honor of Valentine’s Day. The three night stint featured a mix of different support acts, with music from all different pockets of genres and styles. Night one featured local buzzy hip hop artist Kweku Collins warming up the stage, while night two had duo Ohmme and the band Deeper, both also from Chicago. Closing out the run of three shows, Thursday night featured Baby Blue and Kevin Krautertaking the stage before Whitney.

Whitney’s setlist all three nights featured some special gems and rarities all around, and each night had its own special touch. For the first two nights, the band decided to split up their show into two parts. The first part featured some Whitney staples like “Polly” and “Dave’s Song” from their album Light Upon The Lake, as well as some covers like “Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can)” by Dolly Parton and “On the Way Home” by Neil Young. When the band left the stage and came back for part two, they were joined by a string section. The strings layering with Whitney’s usual horn section rounded out the sound, adding even more warmth to Whitney’s already rich live show.

Part two of the set featured the gentle “Light Upon the Lake” and a new, unnamed song in addition to a few covers. The beautiful set came to a peak each night, with an epic ending thanks to special guest and friend of the band, Aaron (known as finally_aaron on Instagram). Aaron took the stage following the crowd favorite “No Woman” each night, giving the band a hand with their rendition of the classic “My Girl,” which was perfectly apt for the occasion. The Pilsen concert hall gave a standing ovation each night to Aaron and the band, who complimented each other perfectly. The energy only amplified when Aaron stayed to contribute his powerful and soulful vocals to Whitney’s final song, “Golden Days.”

Whitney has been one of Chicago’s most beloved bands for a while now, but these three magical nights just further solidified how much this city loves Whitney. If you missed out on all of sold out shows, relive some of the magic by checking out photos from the Valentine’s day extravaganza below!

Keep up with Whitney on social media and grab your copy of the demo versions of Light Upon The Lake here.

Sir Sly and K.Flay performed to a sold out Concord Music Hall at the tail end of their Every Where Is Some Where run this past Friday night

LA-based trio Sir Sly warmed up the Friday night crowd for K.Flay, kicking off their energetic set with “Astronaut” from their sophomore album, Don’t You Worry Honey. The band’s latest record focuses on frontman and lead vocalist Landon Jacobs’ deeply personal struggles over the past few years, including his divorce and his mother passing away from brain cancer. As Jacobs and his bandmates Hayden Coplen and Jason Suwito performed their set, a massive light up brain backed them onstage, paying homage to Jacobs’ mother. While their lighting added another layer to Sir Sly’s live performance, the way that the three band members fed off one another, delivering a dynamic set to the Chicago crowd, made for the perfect show all in itself. On top of reworking the live arrangements for tracks like “Change” and “&Run” to build them up and flesh them out, Jacobs threw all of his energy into their 45 minute set. From his dancing around the stage to climbing up to the balcony and scaling the railing along the venue, Jacobs performed with an intense sense of conviction, never allowing a dull moment to creep into their set. Sir Sly will be performing at festivals around the country this year, from Coachella to Governors Ball, so if you get a chance to catch one of their animated performances, don’t miss it.

Kristine Meredith Flaherty, better known as K.Flay, hit the stage next with the same vivacious spirit that Sir Sly exhibited during their set. Opening with “Make Me Fade,” the LA-based, Wilmette, IL native immediately had the crowd mesmerized by her exuberant stage presence, the packed house loudly singing back her candid narratives. After the opening track from her debut album Life as a Dog, K.Flay followed up with a three song streak of tunes from her sophomore album and the namesake of the tour, Every Where is Some Where. K.Flay’s music connects so deeply with her audience based off her ability to pour herself and her experiences into her lyrics, and as the crowd got lost in the moment, you could tell that this concert was not only a cathartic moment for them, but for K.Flay as well.

Between songs, K.Flay exuded a relaxed and approachable onstage demeanor that carried the same candor of every song of hers. Before playing “Wishing It Was You” from her first record, K.Flay dedicated the song to anyone who’s ever been in unrequited love, saying “This song goes out to anybody who’s been in love with somebody who didn’t love them back.” Very few artists conduct themselves with the same level of authenticity, but K.Flay managed to break down the artist-to-fan barrier and give the feeling of an intimate performance, even in the extremely packed music hall. By the end of the night, after the last notes of the electrifying track “Blood in the Cut” rang out into the venue and K.Flay and her band left the stage, the audience pleaded for an encore performance. Their cheers flooded the Logan Square concert venue with an overwhelming demand for more of K.Flay’s heartfelt music, and she obliged, closing out the explosive show with “Slow March.” Artists like K.Flay and Sir Sly amplify the music they’ve written and recorded during their live shows, giving their audience an absolutely stellar show and a one-of-a-kind feeling that you can’t get from simply listening to their records. To get in on that magic, check out K.Flay as she continues her headlining tour in March; see tour dates here.

Relive the show with our photo gallery of Sir Sly and K.Flay

Keep up with both bands on social media below for upcoming tour dates and other news!

Madrid quartet HINDS was number one on our most anticipated acts of TNK Fest 2018, and they definitely did not disappoint during their show this past Sunday! They closed out the annual winter, multi-day and multi-venue festival at Lincoln Hall, following rowdy performances from openers Peel and Sløtface.

Bursting onto the stage to the sounds of “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate on the house speakers, the four piece immediately let the audience know that they were in for a light hearted and energetic performance filled with good vibes. The last time HINDS had played one of their endearing and energetic shows in Chicago was back in May of last year, where they packed The Empty Bottle for a free Red Bull sponsored show. The Lincoln Hall audience welcomed HINDS back to town with open arms; eagerly soaking up their irresistible and lively lo-fi rock tunes.

The band kicked off the evening with one of their most popular tracks, “Garden,” from the 2016 album Leave Me Alone, and the set that followed kept the audience engaged and enthralled from start to finish. Between playing even more crowd favorites from the same album, like “Castigadas En El Granero” and “Chili Town,” Carlotta Cosials talked about how Chicago almost felt like a second home to them, even though they came a long way from Madrid to play a small run of North American tour dates. In addition to the handful of shows HINDS have played in town, they also played an entire tour with Chicago’s Twin Peaks, and of course, Twin Peaks showed up to support their former tour mates and now friends for their show at Lincoln Hall.

The band also talked about some exciting news they had just shared earlier in the week; a new album and another expansive tour in the Spring. Accompanying the news of the album, I Don’t Run, HINDS released lead single “New For You,” which they played amongst their other setlist staples. After delivering nearly an hour of their catchy tunes at a non-stop pace, HINDS left the stage briefly, only to return for an encore that kicked off with a surprise. Twin Peaks members Clay Frankel and Colin Croom took the stage to give HINDS a hand with a cover of “Sweet Thing” from Twin Peaks’ Wild Onion LP, giving HINDS’ show in Chicago a special hometown touch.

If you missed out on this performance at Lincoln Hall, don’t sweat too much…HINDS will be back at the same venue during their upcoming tour! Grab tickets to their May 15th show here, and check out the rest of their tour dates right here.

Photo gallery of Sløtface, Peel, and HINDS by Catalina Florea

While you wait for HINDS to play in a city near you, pop into the store to grab one of their records, or order one from the online store here.